Deepali: A True Champion

We know all sports eyes are focused on the Winter Olympics, but we've got a champion who deserves a gold medal as far as we're concered.

Deepali started with Goal WAY back in 2006, become a Goal coach and training so many of the girls that went through the first years of our programme. Now she'll be representing not just Goal, but India (!) at the Commonwealth Games this year. Listen to Deepali tell you about her experiences with Goal and comment below your congrats for our true champion!

Global Girl News: 12 February

• Looking for a unique Valentine's Day gift? How about sponsoring a blog by a budding girl writer, or giving an aspiring young director the chance to film for a day? Global Girl Media, a project we love, has those ideas and more on their website. 

• We thought this letter from a US student about teaching feminism in K-12 classrooms was pretty great. 

• If you haven't joined Global Sister yet, you should. It's a great community of people working on issues around women and girls around the world.

• World Pulse interviewed Subhadra Khaperde, activist from India.

Wishing you a prosperous new year!

Goal had a pretty fantastic year of the ox - so we can't wait to see what the year of the tiger will bring.

Happy Chinese New Year (next week) to you all!

Spotlight: Nayana

Nayana is a 19 year old girl who dropped out of school after 9th grade. She has been accessing the Adolescent Girls centre of Hamara Foundation since the last 3 years and has been a part of Goal since the it’s launch in Mumbai in August 2008.

Her family lives in a hutment on the pavement; her father makes cane furniture and her mother works as a maid in four households. Nayana dropped out of school as she had to take care of her younger siblings and do the household work. She attended a jewellery making class conducted by Hamara Foundation where she excelled in making jewellery and also trained her fellow community girls. However, she did not see this as her career option.

She joined the Goal programme with the thought that she would get an opportunity to play a game and spend more time with her friends who had also joined Goal. Nayana has always been a very progressive and enthusiastic girl. Initially, it was just fun of playing a game. However as the program picked up momentum, Nayana began to excel in the game. She also started displaying qualities of a leader. She would often take the initiative to bring in the other participants who would be late for each session.She would also take responsibility of taking attendance and sometime even start the session on her own.

During one of the sessions Nayana expressed her desire to take up netball as a career. She said that the game had made her feel more confident and energized. She wanted to become a coach and train the other girls from her community. Most of Nayana’s friends are married and there is immense pressure on her parents to find her a groom. When the programme decided to take Nayana as a trainee netball coach, they discussed with her mother her plans for her daughter. She said-“I want my daughter to fulfill her aspirations! I know that she has to get married and run a family…… but I now understand that she can do that along with her job. We will find a groom who will understand her need for a career and who will let her work”

Nayana has joined the Goal team as an ‘Assistant Coach’. She facilitates leadership sessions and teaches netball to the new girls in the programme. She dreams of completing her studies and becoming a good Netball Coach.

Goal in the McKinsey Quarterly

We think Goal runs a fabulous programme, but we like it even more when other people say so too! Check out our recent shout out in the January McKinsey Quarterly (registration required).

On an unrelated note, here's an adorable picture of some of our Mumbai girls behind the cameras of Global Rickshaw, our video diarists!

Volunteer Story: Vimal

Vimal, a Standard Chartered HIV Champion conducted a HIV education session with the Goal Chennai and Goal Mumbai staff. He had this to say about his experience:

What a wonderful opportunity! This program gave me the chance to think intensely about spreading awareness on HIV. The Goal staff has a vision and a deep sense of commitment towards this cause. It was a pleasure to share ideas with the smart and committed champions of Goal who come from different lifestyles and cultures and in turn gave me a different learning of life and its problems.

Recap from the Mumbai Marathon

On Sunday 17th of January at 7.30 in the morning 14 Goal girls with bright and shining faces set off to Azad Maidan in Mumbai to be a part of the Standard Chartered contingent which included the visually challenged children from the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind. The girls were geared in running shoes and the SCB t-shirts and raring to go!

The girls took part in the Dream Run of the marathon. They were excited to see so many citizens of Mumbai taking part in the marathon supporting various causes like save the environment, water conservation, child rights, issues of old people etc. The girls felt proud to represent the cause of women.

Chaya who ran in the event said:

The event felt like a dream! I lived Mumbai for so many years and I had never imagined that I would participate one day in the Mumbai Marathon! I felt elated; it was a great experience to join so many thousands of people. I feel motivated and charged to do better in life!

Kalyani told us she felt privileged to be representing Goal at the Marathon. This was a unique opportunity for our girls. They were amazed to see the power of the people to come together and run in support of causes and one another! Next year we will train more girls and get a larger group to run!